Topline
FIFA’s decision to suspend a red card against U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun has drawn criticism from the American team’s Round of 16 opponent, Belgium, and other soccer experts who questioned the fairness of the decision after reports said that President Donald Trump had spoken with FIFA president Gianni Infantino on the matter.
Key Facts
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the decision, noting FIFA’s disciplinary code states that a red card results in an automatic suspension for a team’s next game, “as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.”
The Belgian soccer body said it is investigating “all potential options” to safeguard the “legitimate rights” of all teams at the World Cup and to protect the “principles of fair play.”
The team’s head coach, Rudi Garcia, was even more blunt in his criticism during a press conference for his team on Sunday and quipped he didn’t know that July 5 at the World Cup was “April Fool’s Day.”
Garcia said that when Belgium goes out to play on Monday night, it is not defending the national team or the country’s soccer federation, but rather “defending football with its ethics and integrity.”
Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, seated next to Garcia, said the team was surprised by the timing of the decision—just a day before the game—but “nothing changes” for the player and the team’s focus is on the pitch.
Have Any Other Teams Commented On The Decision?
On Sunday, England won its Round of 16 game against Mexico 3-2 to advance to the quarter-finals, where they will take on Norway. However, the team will take the field without defender Jarell Quansah, who received a red card for a dangerous sliding tackle against Mexico’s Jesus Gallardo. In the press conference after the game, the English team’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, disapproved of FIFA’s decision to suspend Balogun’s red card, noting that it will sow confusion for other teams. “Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds? And how far does this go now? It is just strange for me.” When a reporter asked Tuchel if the England team could lobby Trump to get involved and overturn Quansah’s one-match ban, the England manager jokingly said, “Maybe, that’s a good starting point.”
What Have Other Football Pundits Said?
On BBC Sport’s kick-off show before the England-Mexico game, former England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney said the Balogun decision was “an absolute disgrace. Infantino should be ashamed of this. The sportsmanship of the game is in question here.” French soccer legend and Fox Sports commentator Thierry Henry said the decision must have broken the Belgian team’s “spirit a tiny bit,” noting that they must have prepared to play the game a “certain way” and now have to suddenly change their tactics and preparation. Henry said he believes Balogun never deserved a red card, but criticized FIFA for the time it took to make a final decision on the matter.
What Was Said About Trump’s reported call to Infantino?
German soccer manager Jürgen Klopp, who won the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles with Liverpool F.C., said the competition’s rules state that Balogun can’t play against Belgium even if people deem the red card unfair. On the President and the FIFA chief purported phone call, Klopp said: “This is our game, not theirs… If Trump and Infantino really worked this all out between themselves, that’s crazy. It calls everything into question.”